


In Sickness and In Health

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Thicker than Water [55]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Family, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-11
Updated: 2014-10-11
Packaged: 2018-02-20 15:07:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2433203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Did you read that in the <i>New England Journal of Medicine</i>?” Emily asked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Sickness and In Health

**Author's Note:**

> This story is written in the **Thicker than Water** universe, where the BAU are kids and teens. It’s the **75th** story I've written for them, which I can hardly believe.

“Is this all my fault?” Ashley asked.

“Of course not.”

“But if it weren't for me you wouldn’t be sick. I'm so, so sorry.”

“Stop it; you have nothing to apologize for.”

“Well I'm gonna take care of you just like you did me.” Ashley smiled. She climbed up on the bed and felt Emily’s forehead.

“Do I still have a fever?” Emily asked.

“I think so. Did you take some medicine; the stuff I take is yummy?”

“Nobody brought me anything yet. I had some Tylenol here but…”

“Knock, knock.” Jason poked his head in.

“Aha,” Emily managed a smile. “Here comes the doctor.”

“Is he gonna rub you with the pink stuff and put mittens on you so you don’t scratch?” Ashley asked.

“I think he probably will. You need to get back in bed kiddo; you're still not 100% yet.”

“Are you sure you're OK?”

“I'm gonna be fine Ashley, I promise.” she caressed her tiny face. “Jason, take her back to bed.”

“Goodnight, Emily.” She gave her a hug and kiss. “Tomorrow I’ll come and read you a story, just like you do for me. JJ brought me some new books from the library.”

“I can't wait. We’ll read together.”

“OK.” Her smile was big as she climbed off the bed and let Jason take her by the hand back to the room she shared with Spencer.

When he came back he gave Emily her Tylenol and a big glass of water. He put a small bottle of Gatorade on the nightstand.

“You need to drink that too; it’s for your electrolytes.”

“Are you sure you don’t wanna be a doctor when you grow up?” Emily asked smiling.

“Oh no, I leave the hard work to the professionals. You don’t want to eat anymore?” he looked down at her plate. There were a few bites taken out of the wheat bread. About half of the chicken soup had been eaten.

“I don’t have much of an appetite. I just wanna get some sleep.”

“I understand.” Jason leaned to kiss her cheek. “I’ll take this tray out of your way and you try to sleep. I’ll come back in a little while to take your temperature.”

“Make sure to double check on the kids.” Emily said before he left.

“Yes mother, I will.”

***

**One week earlier**

“It’s definitely chickenpox.” Jason said, walking into the den where the rest of the family was waiting.

“Are you sure?” Hotch asked. He started itching just thinking about it.

“All the symptoms add up and poor Ashley is itching like crazy. I put mittens on her for the time being but I don’t know how long that will last. I could’ve sworn Spencer had them before, which might be why his bout is not as bad. Some children are susceptible to getting them twice. I think Ashley brought them in so tomorrow I’ll talk with Mrs. Belle and Mrs. Davenport. She’s been playing with Tracy, Cheryl, and Trish for the past couple of weeks.”

“What do you need us to do, Jason?” JJ asked. She was sitting on the arm of the couch eating a banana.

“I need to make sure that you’ve all had chickenpox. It’s highly contagious so you’re either going to get it now or you'll have to stay with Dave and Erin for a week or so.”

“I've had it twice.” Morgan raised his hand.

“I've had it.” Hotch said.

“Me too.” Penelope said.

“Me four.” JJ smiled.

“Emily?” Jason looked at her.

“I honestly don’t know.” She replied.

“They'd be hard to forget Prentiss.” Derek said. “They're ugly red rashes that itch like mad. You also get flu symptoms for about a week. Its agony on a little kid.”

“I don’t remember anything like that from childhood. But so much of it is a blur…”

“You need to go to Dave and Erin’s, just to be safe.” Jason said.

“No way, I'm not leaving.”

“This is not up for debate. Chickenpox gets more complicated as the patient gets older. You’re nearly 17.”

“Jason…” her frustration seeped through.

“Mom and Dad are gonna blow.” JJ smirked.

“Could you guys excuse us for a minute?” Jason asked.

They nodded, heading into the kitchen and other parts of the downstairs. The truth was that they wanted to hear the argument. Jason and Emily didn’t fight. They had a couple of healthy disagreements over the past two years but nothing too bad. The others placed bets on how a real argument between them would go.

Odds were high that Emily would lose her temper first. Was she a yeller or a frustration hitter? Was Jason a secret screamer? None of them had ever heard him so much as raise his voice. Would he insist on having the last word? They were all dying to know so they perched themselves in places close to the den and just listened.

“Katya…”

“There's no point in trying to talk me out of it.” Emily’s tone was rational. “So don’t, OK?”

“If you’ve never had this before you’re putting yourself at serious risk.” Jason said. “Chickenpox could be complicated; you could end up in the hospital.”

“It’s just a risk I have to take.”

“That’s unacceptable to me.” Jason shook his head. “That’s absolutely unacceptable.”

“First of all, I've probably already had it. Just because I don’t remember doesn’t mean it didn’t occur. Secondly, I have to take care of Ashley.”

“I can…”

“Jason, think. She is not going to let you bathe her, rub her down with anything, or let you touch her when she’s sick and upset. It will not happen.”

Jason took a deep breath. She was right. Ashley would rather die of chickenpox then let him do any of those things. Just in the past couple of days, before the rashes appeared, she’d been extremely needy of Emily. And the older girl didn’t miss a beat.

Emily was as good as infected already if she’d never been before. All going to Dave and Erin’s would do is spread the virus. Nicky and Nora were too young, their immune systems not fully developed, to fight it off. Emily’s staying home was safer for the entire family.

“There's nothing I can do to protect you from it.” Jason said, taking her face in his hands. “If you get sick, I’ll take care of you.”

“I think we should just be grateful this happened during the summer.” She replied. “This would be a disaster in September.”

“That’s strange too because this virus tends to thrive in spring and autumn.” Jason shrugged. “You're right though; summertime is best. The kids are upstairs trying to eat a little soup and then get some sleep. I need to go to Kassmeyer’s for Gatorade, chicken broth, and PediaSure.”

“You're going now?” Emily asked.

“Yeah. Its doubtful that either Spencer or Ashley will have an appetite come breakfast time.”

“Well I'm going upstairs to check on them.” she stood from the couch. “I guess we’ll work in shifts. I know you have your classes on Tuesday and Thursday. Spencer won't mind my attention but I know he’ll want yours as well.”

“Should we involve the troops?” Jason asked.

“Its summer so everyone is into their own thing. I'm sure if we need a little extra help, they’ll be willing to pitch in. I think the kids will spend most of their times sleeping.”

He nodded and they started going their separate ways. Emily stopped, turning around.

“You should probably call the animal hospital.” She said.

“Why?”

“Ashley won't want to be separated from Kitty. She’s still a kitten…we need to make sure she's not susceptible to human disease. I doubt it but I’ll feel better after we double check. What? Why are you looking at me that way?”

“You're brilliant, and amazing.” Jason replied. “It’s difficult not to be completely in awe of you. I’ll go to the grocery store and then call.”

Emily walked out of the den and toward the living room. JJ scared her in the hallway.

“What are you doing?”

“Eavesdropping.” JJ answered truthfully.

“What are you eavesdropping on?” Emily asked.

“You and Jason never really fight.”

“Isn't that a good thing? I thought you didn’t like it when people yelled and screamed.”

“I don’t really but a healthy fight once in a while is good for your blood pressure.”

“Did you read that in the _New England Journal of Medicine_?” Emily asked.

“Huh?”

“All couples fight, JJ. There's no need to fight about this though. Spencer and Ashley’s wellbeing is all that matters to us right now.”

“I still have my money on you when it goes down.” JJ replied.

“Smart girl.” Emily playfully pulled JJ’s ponytail as she walked by.

***

“Here’s your medicine.” Jason opened his palm and Emily took the Tylenol.

She washed it down with half a glass of water. Then she sunk deeper into her bed.

“You overdid it today.” He said, taking the thermometer off the nightstand.

“How? I stayed in bed?”

It was her fourth day straight in bed. Emily was seriously about to go stir crazy. She alternated between sleeping, itching, and just wanting to get up and run. Being sick was exhausting.

“You and Ashley read stories for a lot of the afternoon. You should've been resting.”

Emily went to object but Jason put the thermometer in her mouth. She still kept talking, incoherently. He told her to stop so the temperature reading would be normal. When it beeped he pulled it out.

“How bad is it?” she muttered. The truth of the matter was she did feel like crud.

“Its 100.8, which isn’t entirely surprising. I don’t think you have enough strength for a bath tonight. I’ll give you one tomorrow morning.”

“The idea of you giving me a bath should be much sexier than this has turned out to be.” Emily grumped.

“Katya…” Jason kissed her forehead. There was a sheen of sweat there, a good sign for the fever. “Get under the blanket, love.”

“I'm sweating to death.” She whined as he pulled the blankets up to her chin. It was mid July and he wanted her under a blanket. The air conditioning was on low in her room but it didn't seem to be helping much.

“I know that but the sweating helps. I'm going to check on the kids but I’ll be back with some cool water to rub you down. I want to get your temperature down tonight.”

“OK.” Emily closed her eyes. She was exhausted. It seemed improbable after being in bed for four days but she was.

“Just rest, Katya. I want you to close your eyes and relax. Everything will be fine.”

She didn’t know how long she’d been out but when she opened her eyes again, there was a cool rag on her forehead.

“Aaron…”

“Shh, shh,” Hotch said. “Jason apologizes but Spencer puked so he asked me to do this.”

Emily just nodded, her eyes closing again. Hotch dropped the rag in the bowl of cool water. He wrung it out and then moved it over her face and neck. She was really hot. He knew what he had to do and Hotch was trembling.

When Jason asked him, he wanted to scream no. But he knew his best friend was running around like crazy taking care of three sick loved ones. Hotch had to step up. It was either this or Spencer puke. At least this wouldn’t make him sick to his stomach.

“I have to unbutton your top, Emily. Jason wants me to wash you down. Please, if you don’t want me to or if you want me to stop just say the word. Please.”

“OK.” She mumbled, her eyes still closed.

Hotch unbuttoned her pajama top, turning away from her topless form. He washed her down with cool water and did his best not to touch anyplace he wasn’t supposed to. He washed her down twice, quickly covered her nudity, and then went to the dresser for a tee shirt.

“I have to take off your shirt and give you a new one.” He whispered. “If you don’t want me to, just tell me.”

“OK.”

Emily wasn’t much help physically or verbally. Hotch sat her up slowly and pulled the pajama top down her arms. He was just getting the shirt over her head when Jason came into the room.

“You alright in here, Hotch?” he asked.

“I'm scarred for life but other than that, things are dandy. Please help me with her arms.”

Jason helped Hotch dress her, gentle as he laid her back on the pillow.

“Don’t tell anyone Hotch.” she whispered.

“Don’t tell anyone what?”

“Don’t tell anyone that you saw me naked. Promise me.”

“I cross my heart and hope to die.” He kissed her cheek. “Go back to sleep Emily.”

Hotch got out of there as fast as his feet would take him. Jason made sure Emily was comfortable then he went into the bathroom to pour out the water.

***

“I'm itchy all over.” Ashley whined. “I wanna stop itching.”

“I know you do but you can't scratch.” Emily said. She sat down on the side of the bed. “That’s why you're wearing these mittens.”

“They make me hot, Emily.”

“No, sweetie, that’s the fever. I want you to lie down and close your eyes.” she ran her hand gently over Ashley’s face.

Emily looked over at Spencer. He was sound asleep. His second bout with the illness didn’t prove to be as miserable and itchy. This was day three for them and he was doing alright. The chickenpox hadn't spread all over him like they had on Ashley.

He had a fever and no appetite but was able to sleep a lot. Poor Ashley stayed awake and miserable. It didn’t help that she hardly liked to sit still. All the kiddy Tylenol, calamine lotion, and oatmeal baths in the world barely put a dent in her discomfort.

“I really itch, Emily.”

“I know you do. But you need to take deep breaths right now; in and out.” Emily put her hand on Ashley’s chest to feel it. “Do it again sweetie…breathe in and out. It doesn’t itch so much; you're just cranky and need to breathe.

“Everything is going to be OK. Just breathe in and breathe out. Do it slowly and keep your eyes closed. Good girl, you're doing great Ashley. Breathe in and out.”

When Jason came into the room, Emily was sitting on the rollaway bed she’d been sleeping on for the past couple of nights. She was holding her head and he rushed over to her.

“Katya, are you alright?” he asked, helping her to lie down.

“I'm starting to think I've never had the chickenpox before.” Emily replied.

“Are you itching anywhere?”

“No, but I definitely think I have a fever. I feel really lightheaded and nauseous.” She covered her mouth as she rolled onto her side. “I feel very nauseous.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything. You're going to be fine.”

“I'm sorry, Jace.” She whispered.

There was nothing to be sorry about and he told her so. He would take care of everything so she could relax and get better. They both knew this was a possibility so Jason prepared. He always prepared; old habits died hard.

***

“I'm hungry.” Emily mumbled as she came out of her Nyquil induced haze. She looked around her room, still bathed in lamplight, with sleepy eyes. Turning her head, Emily saw Jason asleep in the chair by the rain soaked window. She’d heard the rain while she was sleeping. Thankfully it wasn’t a storm; the little ones would not be happy.

“Jason?” Emily cleared her throat, saying his name a little louder.

“Hmm?” he woke slowly too. Jason hadn't gotten a full night’s sleep in eight days. He was starting to forget what it was. That was for the best…right now he didn’t know what he was missing. When he realized who was calling him, he jumped out of the chair. “Are you alright, Katya?”

“I think I'm hungry.” She replied.

“Seriously?”

“I think so. My stomach is growling.”

Jason thought that was great news. For the past five days she’d hardly been able to keep anything down besides some chicken broth. Emily had been drinking Ensure for nutrients. The highest her temperature went, late last night, was 101. It scared Jason but he managed to lower it with a cool wash down and some Nyquil. Night four was bad; he really hoped it was the last. Jason grabbed the thermometer from the nightstand.

“Open wide.” He said, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

Emily did what he asked, feeling the thermometer slip under her tongue. She went to scratch her arm, the mittens Jason put on days ago stopping her. She patted instead as the thermometer beeped.

“Its 99.4.” Jason said.

“That’s almost normal, right?” she asked.

“It falls within the normal range.” He replied, still feeling her forehead, neck, and collarbone with the back of his hand. “You're not clammy anymore…I think the fever has broken. Are you itching badly?”

“My arms and belly are but nothing else right now. Can you take the mittens off?”

“Nice try.” Jason smirked. “You probably shouldn’t eat anything too heavy. I’ll bring you some chicken broth and a slice of wheat toast.”

“Mmm, that sounds delicious.” Emily sighed.

“It will be.” Jason kissed her nose because he loved her and it was another way to check her temperature.

“Are Spencer and Ashley OK?”

“They're doing fine. I had them relaxing in bed today but limited activity tomorrow should be alright. Ashley wants to come and read with you again. Maybe tomorrow afternoon if you're not too tired.”

“How many days ago since we read last?” Emily asked. She closed her eyes. “I was so out of it…how long have I been in this bed?”

“This is the end of your fifth day. Ashley was just with you yesterday though it probably seems longer. You slept most of today away, which is good because I didn’t have to fight you about scratching. You'll probably need some Gatorade with your meal. I did my best to keep you hydrated.”

“You took such good care of me.” she took his hand and held it to her lips. “Thank you.”

“In sickness and in health.” Jason replied.

“Not yet.”

“Forever, Emily Prentiss.”

She smiled and so did he. Jason was going to be an amazing husband, Emily was sure of that. Her grumbling stomach interrupted the rest of her thoughts. Jason laughed.

“You relax and I’ll get you something to eat. Then we’ll both get some more sleep.”

“I need to use the bathroom.”

“Do you want me to stay in case you need help?” he asked.

“I’ll be fine.”

Jason nodded, getting up and leaving the room. Emily threw the blanket off, slowly climbing out of bed. It had been a prison for almost a week. She was glad to be away from it for a few minutes. In the bathroom she used the toilet, washed her face, her hands, and rinsed her mouth.

Then Emily made a slow trek down the hall. She wanted to check on Spencer and Ashley. Poking her head into the room, she saw they were sound asleep. The lamp burned on the nightstand between them.

Spencer lay on his stomach, sheet around his waist. Ashley was curled on her side, her sheet around her shoulder. Kitty was sleeping in a ball right beside her belly. Emily didn’t want to wake them, or make them sick again, but she had to go in and kiss them goodnight.

It had been five days without stories, kisses, hugs, or anything. She didn’t know how they felt about it but she hated it. So she gave them quick goodnight kisses and headed back to her room. It took so long to get there; Jason was coming up the stairs before she was halfway down the hall.

“What are you doing?” he asked quietly. It was late and he didn’t want to wake anyone.

“I had to kiss them goodnight.” Emily replied. “I had to make sure they’re OK.”

He didn’t say anything. He just followed her slowly back to her bedroom. Emily got into bed, propped up her pillows and Jason sat the tray down in front of her.

“Do you feel better now?” Jason asked, sitting down on the side of the bed.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I just had to check.”

He could only smile at her. Emily was very attached to the kids. She took such good care of them. Jason never forgot how much she was juggling; it was just as much as he was. Well, maybe even more since between parenting, being a big sister, school, and work she insisted on doing “normal” teenage stuff with her friends.

He honestly didn’t know where she found all the time or energy. Emily had it though…she was tireless. That’s why he wanted to keep her in bed and get her better. If Emily was allowed to go then she would go.

“Mmm, this is really good.” She said.

“You're hungry, which is a good thing.”

“How much longer will I have to stay in bed?”

“Another two days just to be sure.” Jason replied. “But tomorrow if you have the energy you can take a shower. I’ll change your sheets so you'll be comfortable and clean.”

“You're so good to me.” Emily smiled.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He playfully clucked under her chin, which made her smile. She tried not to eat too fast but she was starving. Chicken broth had never been so good. Her late dinner was practically over before it started.

Jason took the bowl into the bathroom, rinsing it out. He left the tray on her desk and then helped her lie down. Emily smiled when he lay down beside her. With a happy sigh, Jason wrapped his arms around her.

“Its time to see if you can get some more sleep.” he said. “Do you need Tylenol?”

“Hardly.” Emily bit back a yawn. “I'm exhausted. I feel like I've run a marathon but I haven’t left the bed for five days.”

“The rain probably isn’t helping.”

“Oh no, it’s perfect. I'm gonna be out like a light in a few minutes.”

He smiled, kissing her forehead and holding on to her. Jason didn’t like when Emily was sick but he did a good job of taking care of her. He’d taken care of all of them. Soon the house would be alive with crazy, happy children again. That would make Emily happy. Her happiness filled Jason to the brim with joy. Her feeling better did the same.

***

  



End file.
